


The Cabin

by Stingray



Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: Angst, Cabin, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Please enjoy this little trainwreck, Rated M for later Chapters, Romance, Slow Build, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-14
Updated: 2015-08-29
Packaged: 2018-04-14 15:24:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4569537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stingray/pseuds/Stingray
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two pretty passive aggressive men, one cabin in the middle of nowhere, how bad could it be?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"This doesn't make any sense." Spoke Matt absentmindedly as he studied the gps he had open on his phone.

Kelly pulled over to the side of the deserted highway they were on, "Just give me the damn map, you're getting us lost." He growled.

Matt shielded his phone, "You're the reason we're out here in the middle of nowhere." He hissed in annoyance. 

Kelly threw his head back against the seat, shaking it. "What's that supposed to mean?" He snapped.

"Well I'm just saying I'm not the one who's driving." Matt muttered bitterly, "If I was, we would be a whole lot less lost."

Kelly rolled his eyes, "If you have such a big fucking problem with me driving, why don't you just walk then!" He exclaimed exasperatedly.

"Fine... I will." Matt retorted, slightly taken aback, he stepped out of the truck and into the winter wonderland that lay outdoors, slamming the door shut angrily. He immediately regretted the decision as the chill of the winter weather began to seep through him though. The snow was falling all around him in big flakes and it felt genuinely peaceful, but also terrifyingly cold.

This trip was already going south and they were only six hours in. They were supposed to be on a snowboarding trip, the two of them had planned it months previous already, while they were still getting along. A few of the other guys from 51 had signed up to go too, but as the time came nearer, intentions failed and they all dropped like flies, each of them cancelling for one reason or another. Then when the time came for a headcount, it turned out Matt and Kelly were the only ones still going on the trip.

And now, it looked as if they wouldn't even find the damn place.  
"Casey, get back in here." Kelly instructed as he put the passenger window down, using his lieutenant voice to try and coax the colder of the two back into truck. Matt kept walking though, not even turning around.

"Case. Just please." Kelly was frustrated and he was doing his best not to blow up.  
Matt didn't exactly want to give Kelly the satisfaction of his obedience, but it was well below freezing temperature outside and he was already cold right down to the bone. It at least did him some good though, because as the warmth dissipated from his body, so did the anger. He began to realize how stupid he was acting, he was like a little kid.  
He stopped walking and as he did, the patient following Kelly had been doing with the truck halted too. Matt sighed in annoyance and turned toward the vehicle and opened the door, wordlessly getting in and pulling on his seatbelt.  
They sat in silence, the lack of words was slightly unnerving because it definitely wasn't a comfortable silence, although, it was definitely better than yelling at each other.  
Kelly noticed Matt's persistent shivering and turned the heat up all the way up, his act of truce he supposed. He hadn't meant for that stupid argument to happen, he hadn't meant for any of it to happen, the fighting, the anger between them, he hated it. And yet he couldn't bring himself to make it better, the way squad always initiated fights with truck, he couldn't escape it. The animosity between the two of them was crushing their friendship, or whatever was left of it, and he had no idea how to fix it. He had hoped that this trip would break down all the crap that went on in their everyday lives and construct some longer lasting connections with Matt. The two of them had been friends for what felt like forever and he didn't want to lose him, he couldn't, it wasn't an option. He could only hope that Matt wanted to save this friendship as much as he did. 

As they drove further, Kelly realized where they were. He had been down this way a few years back and he happened to notice a few recognizable landmarks that seemed familiar. The two of them stayed silent for most of the ride, only exchanging words to navigate their way. Then finally, a few hours later, probably close to the middle of the night, they reached their destination. They were staying in Matt's 2nd cousin's remote cabin which was located deep in a snowy forest, just 15 minutes away from a fairly popular ski resort. 

The cabin itself was a decent size, it was simple yet homey. The roof was covered by a thick layer of snow and large icicles hung from the eaves, looking almost as if they were about to drop. The inside of the building was quaint and the decorations seemed to give off a hunting lodge feel. A deer mount hung on a wall, and there were paintings of different nature scenes littered across other walls.  
Matt flicked on the lights and noticed there was a brick fireplace against the far wall so he set to work lighting it while Kelly got their bags and set them inside.  
Soon enough, a flame was roaring to life and Matt added wood, building up a steady fire. He began rubbing his hands together in front of the source of warmth trying to heat them up because they felt like ice cubes. Kelly joined him, tiny snowflakes in his hair melting as he kneeled in front of the fire repeating Matt's actions. Looking around, they both immediately realized there was only one bed.

"You take the bed." Matt spoke quietly, motioning toward the mattress covered by a big comforter and a thick wool blanket with a tribal pattern. Kelly was about to object when Matt interrupted, "And don't argue."

"But-" Kelly started.

"Seriously, don't." Matt objected, scratching the back of his neck.

Kelly sighed and stared at Matt for a moment, fighting the urge to protest further. "Whatever." He grumbled in Matt's direction before opening his suitcase and pulling out a pair of pyjama pants and his toothbrush. Stepping in the bathroom, he locked the door and ran his fingers through his hair stressfully. 

How were they ever going to get through this trip?


	2. Chapter 2

Kelly woke first. It was a sunny day, the sky was clear and the air was fresh, it was exactly what he hoped for. He sat up in bed and glanced over to where Matt was laying on the floor in front of the fireplace. The makeshift bed he had insisted on constructing by himself looked cozy, although he was sure the other man would have a sore back when he woke up. Kelly tiptoed across the floor towards the kitchen area, careful not to wake up Matt. Now that it was day time, the morning light flooded through the frosty panes of the windows, and he was able to get a better look at the inside of the cabin. It was basically one big room; an open concept which almost had no walls, exception being the decent sized bathroom that was tucked into one corner of the building. 

As Kelly poured some cereal into a bowl he had plucked from the cupboard, he could see Matt beginning to stir and stretch. He couldn't help but watch as Matt stood up, clad only in a pair of tight fighting sweatpants. The way his tight muscles flexed was captivating to say the least. 

He shook his head and quickly averted his eyes, he shouldn't be watching like that.  
Matt groggily rubbed his eyes and made his way to the kitchen area where Kelly was standing, and poured himself cereal from the same box that Kelly had just got some from. 

"So, snowboarding today?" Matt asked, after swallowing a spoonful of his breakfast.

Kelly nodded, "Yeah. That's fine." He muttered disinterestedly.

Matt sighed, nodding slowly before finishing off his food. He wordlessly walked over to his suitcase, pulling out some clothes before going into the bathroom to change.  
This was going to be a long day.

When they arrived at the mountain, they each bought a lift pass and headed toward the lifts. The trip up was beautiful, magnificent in every way imaginable. The way all the other skiers and snowboarders cut through the white fluff. Big pine trees that made the two of them feel small, dark green needles contrasting with the stark white of the snow. When they reached the top, they got their boards set up, ready to fly down the mountain. 

"Good luck, you're gonna need it." Matt remarked sourly, tightening the bindings on his boots. Obviously Kelly's attitude had rubbed off, which he couldn't help but regret, why had he needed to start the day off so badly? They could have been getting along this whole time, but no, Kelly had to screw things up.

"Fuck you." Kelly retorted harshly, before sliding down the vague trail set by previous snowboarders, he needed to get away before he made things worse.

Matt attempted to follow him, expertly maneuvering around obstacles and weaving through trees.  
It took them awhile, but they made it down in one piece.   
The trip down the gorgeous mountain did nothing to dissipate the anger he felt towards Matt, so as soon as he got to the bottom, Kelly couldn't help but step off of his board and make his way over to Matt, who was just in the process of getting off his snowboard.

"What's your problem?" Kelly asked in annoyance, his tone bitter.

Oddly enough, Kelly felt himself being shoved, he fell backwards and landed in a snow bank.

"Seriously, Severide?" Matt said exasperatedly, looking down at Kelly who was still in the snowbank, a surprised look on his face.

Kelly stood up and brushed the snow off his jacket. "Chill, man. Who pissed in your Cheerio's?" 

"Must've been you, because unfortunately you're the only other person on this trip." Matt replied, balling his fists up by his sides.

"It's a figure of speech." Kelly reminded him coldly.

"I fucking know that." Matt stressed.

Silence, and then Kelly spoke, "Listen, what ever your deal is, keep it to yourself. Some of us are trying to enjoy their vacation." He retaliated sharply, picking up his snowboard and heading in the direction of the lifts.

The rest of the day was spent snowboarding, the two of them didn't talk much and almost avoided each other. They had lunch at the overpriced ski lodge and the two of them sat at a table together not even looking at each other as they ate their food. Then they decided to head back to their cabin only a few hours later, not wanting to overdo it on their first day here.

Matt stood on the porch while Kelly went inside, he wanted to let off some steam before he joined him in the cabin. He didn't want to be ignoring Kelly through this whole trip, but he also despised fighting with the man, it was draining. Matt really wanted to get along, make jokes, and have an actually pleasant time with Kelly, have the friendship they had before, but that all seemed so far away. Like it was a distant memory from another world.

Kelly walked outside, shutting the door behind him, and standing beside Matt. "Cold out here." He stated, trying to test the waters. 

Matt nodded, "Kind of."

"What should we have for supper?" Kelly inquired, "Cause I was th-"

"How do you do it, Severide?" Matt interrupted.

"Do wha-"

"After we fight, you pretend like it never happened and think I'll just forget about it too." Matt answered before the entire question even made it's way out of Kelly's mouth.

"Oh." Kelly inhaled, "I see."

"You see? That's it?"

"Casey."

"We're adults, Severide, let's start acting like it."

"You're the one making a big deal of nothing." Kelly spat, looking down as he kicked at the snow with his boot.

"I'm trying, okay." Matt muttered harshly, "Can we just stop fighting? Please?"

He was right. They were acting like little kids, throwing stupid tantrums and constantly picking on each other. Kelly was about to say as much, when Matt began to walk away. He only got as far as the porch stairs, then slipped on a patch of ice and tumbled down them.

"Shit." Mumbled Kelly as he ran over to Matt. By the time he made it down the slippery stairs, Matt was already sitting up.

"You sure you're okay?" Kelly asked a minute later for what must've been the sixth time.

"I said I'm fine." Matt insisted, wincing as he stood up and began walking up the stairs he'd fallen down just minutes ago. Kelly instantly noticed he had something of a limp, so he slowed Matt down, grabbing his shoulders. He thought he felt Matt lean into his touch, or maybe he imagined it. 

Despite the protests, Kelly did help Matt back up the stairs and into the cabin, then they started the process of ditching their snow gear. 

"Let me look at your leg." Kelly suggested, stepping closer to where Matt was trying to hang up his coat.

"No." Matt answered simply.

"Casey."

"Severide."

"C'mon man."

"I said no."

"Let me help."

"Leave me alone."

"This is my fault, if I wouldn't have come outside, you wouldn't hav-"

"No, it wasn't your fault." Matt interrupted quickly.

Kelly sighed, "Just let me have a look, ten seconds."

Matt hesitated for a moment, but then finally nodded, "Fine."

After they discarded the rest of their snow gear, Kelly helped Matt over to the bed. He grimaced as he sat down on the edge of the mattress, stretching his injured leg out in front of him.

"Where exactly does it hurt?"

Matt pointed to his ankle, "Bout there."

Kelly gingerly rolled up the pant leg until he could see the injury. The ankle was slightly swollen and already starting to bruise a little bit.  
"Does it feel like it's broken?" Kelly asked, feeling the ankle.

"No, I don't think so, it doesn't hurt that bad." Matt answered. Kelly stood up, and headed to the kitchen where he'd remembered seeing some medical supplies. 

He took an elastic bandage from the cupboard, and filled a plastic bag with ice which he covered with a towel so that it wouldn't be too cold, then sat on the floor in front of Matt again.  
Kelly pressed the ice against the ankle very carefully. Matt grimaced, pulling his leg back a fraction of an inch. Then Kelly glanced up at Matt, giving him a reassuring look, before going back to his work.

"What happened to ten seconds?" Matt spoke softly, covering up the pain with a half smile.

"Did I say seconds? I meant minutes." Kelly smirked, not looking up from Matt's leg as he removed the ice.

"Pfft, if I'd have known that I wouldn't have agreed to this." Matt asserted playfully.

Kelly huffed out a laugh, "Is that right?"

"Yeah." Matt smiled.

Kelly picked up the bandage from beside him, beginning to wind it around the ankle expertly, making sure not to wrap it too loose or too tight.

"How's that wrap feel?" Kelly questioned looking up, his thumb rubbing across the length of the ankle.

Matt returned the glance, he actually wanted to say amazing, but he settled for, "I'll live." 

"Yeah, as long as you cut back on your stair-falling adventures." Kelly quipped, little grin slipping onto his face.

Matt shook his head, not being able to stop the little chuckle that escaped from his throat. "Thanks for the advice."

Kelly smiled a little as he looked up, "I miss this." He sighed, referring to their witty banter and the fact that they were actually getting along.

Matt nodded his head in agreement, "Me too."

"I want us to get along. Not just right now, all the time." Kelly thought aloud as he adjusted the bandage slightly.

"Like we used to." Matt mentioned, thinking back to all the good times they'd had.

Kelly nodded, "Exactly.. Anyway, you're all done."

"Thanks, feeling better already." Matt grinned, as he ran his ran his hand through his short hair.

"You're a pretty brave patient, not many people can do what you've done without letting loose some unmanly tears." 

Matt snickered, "Do I get like, a sticker?"

"No, but that's a great idea." Kelly decided, unrolling Matt's pant leg. 

Matt smiled, but then winced as he stood up.  
"Maybe stay off that for awhile?" Kelly suggested, making him sit back down the bed.

"But Sev.." Matt whined softly, dragging out the words, even though he wasn't actually that annoyed. He watched Kelly help him lay in the bed and tuck a pillow under his sprained ankle. "Thanks." He mentioned quietly. 

"You got it." Kelly half-smiled and then in a voice so quiet Matt almost didn't hear it, "You always do."


	3. Chapter 3

As Kelly made sure that Matt was settled comfortably in the bed, he couldn't help but wonder at the wave of compassion that had just flooded through him. It was like their whole past had faded away and everything that was truly important contrasted vividly against the stark whiteness of their attitudes toward each other.  
The best thing about the entire thing was that Kelly felt like he truly cared about someone again, something he thought was incredibly impossible these days.  
The thing was though, he couldn't discern whether or not this was just an appreciation of the facts, or if maybe he liked Matt a little more than he'd necessarily like to admit. 

Foreign thoughts raided his mind and ravaged his poor feelings, he felt confused about so many things yet so much was becoming astoundingly clear to him.

Kelly asked Matt once more if he was okay, to which Matt patiently replied with, "Yeah, it's all good, I'm fine."

After exchanging small smiles, Kelly went off to the kitchen area to brew themselves a hot pot of coffee, hoping with all his heart that the old looking machine would actually turn on, let alone make them a half decent drink.  
It did take a while to figure out how it actually worked, but when he did, the rest was a piece of cake.

The look of pure appreciate on Matt's face when Kelly handed him a steaming mug of fresh coffee was reward enough for his trials and made everything worth it.  
Kelly stood beside the bed for a moment and watched the tv, mentally kicking himself because he had no idea what he should do. Should he sit on the couch? Beside Matt on the bed?

Matt seemed to catch on to Kelly's apprehensiveness, and so without moving his eyes from the screen, leaned over and tugged Kelly down by his sleeve. Kelly plopped down thankfully, averting his full attention to the TV show.

It was a little while later that Matt decided to get up and grab another blanket from the closet, so without thinking much about it, he stood up and headed in that direction. Only, he completely forgot about his injured ankle, so unfortunately he faltered and was thrown off balance by the sudden shooting pains that he felt. Matt stumbled and consequently collapsed, falling to the floor. He immediately clutched his ankle tightly as he groaned.

"Matt!" Kelly was there in less than a second.  
"You alright?" He asked quickly, studying the bandage covered skin for a moment before looking into the bright blue eyes of the other man.

"I'm good," Matt winced, "Guess I just forgot about that." He spoke after a minute, motioning toward to his lower leg.

"Gotcha." Kelly murmured, slowly helping Matt sit up.

Matt groaned as he tried to stand up, pathetically whimpering when Kelly pulled him back down and made him sit again. Kelly sat beside him, running his fingers gently against his ankle in hopes he could make it even the smallest bit better.

"Think we should take you to the hospital?" Kelly asked softly, studying the ankle once more.

"No, no. I just need a minute, I'll be fine." 

Kelly nodded, "Okay."

Kelly frowned slightly, why couldn't this have happened to him, not Matt? Matt deserved to have a truly fantastic week, he had been looking forward to this trip for a long time.

It took Matt a few moments to do it, but with Kelly's generous help, he made it back into the bed safely and comfortably positioned.

Kelly went to the closet and retrieved the thick blanket and spread it across Matt who flashed him a half sheepish half thankful smile. Kelly returned the grin, but he didn't bother saying anything, he was sure Matt was already embarrassed enough following the recent events and he didn't really want the man to feel any more uncomfortable than necessary. 

Although, that plan seemed to backfire when Kelly decided to get rid of his sweater which he couldn't have executed worse. The plain white tee he was wearing underneath had decided to accompany the sweater as he tried to pull it over his head. Then his arms got stuck somehow and in his frustration he must've looked like a complete idiot. His fears were soon confirmed when he heard Matt let out a short chuckle. Matt, taking pity on the man, decided to reach over and try to help get the shirt off. He tugged and pulled, and soon his efforts were rewarded as the sweater slipped off along with the t-shirt. Kelly was thrown off balance and his body was pulled in the direction of his shirt, so he consequently fell into Matt, who got knocked flat on his back. As Kelly fell, he thankfully had enough time to react, his hands landing on either side of Matt's shoulders, holding him up. It left them in a slightly awkward position, Kelly hovering over Matt's warm body, their faces only inches apart. Matt's eyes flickered to Kelly's lips then traveled up to meet his eyes.  
Kelly began to lower himself down, his intention simply to let their mouths meet in what he could only imagine would be a sweet, intense explosion of everything good in this world. 

Then suddenly, when their lips were only a fraction of an inch apart, he was hit by harsh reality, what was he doing? This was ridiculous, reckless, he had no idea what was coming over him and he was sure as hell not going to figure it out right now.  
As quick as it had happened, he shot up from his position over Matt. Looking down, Kelly remembered that he was shirtless which was definitely not helping the situation, so he stood up and after putting on the discarded t-shirt from the floor, headed towards the door, grabbing his jacket and keys before hastily exiting the cabin.  
He faintly heard Matt call after him and out of the corner of his eye could see the man getting off the bed. His instinct was telling him to run back to Matt, make sure he stayed in bed and rested his ankle, because in all honesty Kelly hated it when Matt was hurt in any way.  
He was afraid that by leaving he was doing just that, but he knew if he stayed, he'd probably just end up making things worse.  
That was something he just couldn't do. Hell, they were supposed to be best friends, they were finally starting to get back to where they used to be, now here Kelly was, fucking everything up once again.  
It seemed to be his secret talent or something, messing up every good thing that ever happened in his life. He hopped in his truck, starting the engine and getting the hell away from the cabin for now. 

He felt confused about the entire situation. He realized he had just nearly kissed Matt, and he wasn't sure what the correct way to respond to that was.  
Kelly kept driving, and after awhile he came across a little grocery store. Something about it seemed warm and inviting, so he pulled into the largely vacant parking lot.  
He strolled into the store, aimlessly wandering around and looking at random items in the store, whatever caught his eye.  
Kelly decided that while he was there he might as well grab some actual food, so he found a small cart, and began filling it. He purchased some more cereal, bread, some different sandwich ingredients, a few frozen pizzas they could throw in the oven, and to top it all off, a case of beer. By the time he paid for everything and had all the bags in his truck, he decided hiding was stupid. Despite how ridiculously scared he was to face Matt, he needed to go back. He pulled out his phone and was surprised to find out he'd been gone for over two hours. He also noticed he had a couple of missed calls and texts from Matt, not a good sign.

Although, could you blame the guy? Getting almost kissed by your friend, who then proceeds to high tail the heck outta there, leaving you all alone and probably very confused.  
Kelly dreaded going back there, he was embarrassed to show his face, but he knew he'd have to do it sooner or later. It only took him a quick moments thought to decide he wanted to do it sooner so that they'd still have a substantial trip left, plus, where else was he gonna go?  
When he drove into the cabin's driveway, he sat in the truck for awhile, trying to pull himself together. Kelly sighed, grabbing all the bags in one hand before trekking onto the porch and opening the front door.

The first thing he noticed was that Matt was no longer in his bed, instead, he was curled up in his little makeshift bed. From what Kelly could see, Matt was completely out like a light, his steady breathing evident in the way his chest rose and fell.  
As silently as he could, Kelly put all the groceries away, before he went to bed himself. His mind felt heavy with all the different thoughts that were racing around in his head and he was ready to sleep.

Tomorrow would be a new day.


	4. Chapter 4

When Matt woke up in the morning, the first thing he noticed was that their cabin smelled like bacon and upon further investigation, he spotted Kelly standing in front of the stove moving things around in a frying pan. Matt sat up, minding his throbbing ankle, and sighed.  
Kelly screwed up and this was him trying to make it better but Matt didn't know if it was going to be that easy. They were definitely going to have to talk it out unless they wanted to risk each other's passive aggressive wraths, but Matt was worried that Kelly would just brush it off like always and assume everything was going to be alright, especially when Kelly had nearly kissed him. That's kind of a big deal.

Matt stood slowly, using the wall closest to him for some extra support.

"Maybe you should stay off that for now." Kelly suggested when he heard the limping, meaning well but realizing that the last thing Matt was realistically going to do was listen to him.

"I know, but I want to sit over there." Matt spoke neutrally, pointing to one of the three barstools lines up on the outer side of the kitchen island.

Kelly walked over, "Here, let me help." He suggested lightly, an offer which Matt gladly accepted. Matt looped an arm around Kelly's shoulders and in turn, he felt Kelly slip an arm around his waist for extra support.  
As soon as Matt collapsed into the chair, Kelly went back to the stove and scooped up a heaping plate of bacon and eggs along with some toast for Matt and then a plate full for himself. It was delicious and Matt made sure he told Kelly as much, it couldn't hurt to compliment his efforts, right? After he was done and the plate was clean, he decided to voice the one thing he knew was floating in both their minds.

"I think we need to talk about what happened yesterday."

Matt subconsciously thought back to the events of the day before. It had all happened rather quickly, their lips almost meeting, Kelly's warm chest only an inch from his, the heat radiating between them. As much as his mind had said no, the rest of him sure as hell wanted it to happen.

But then again, the thought of being into a guy almost scared him in a way. Though looking back to the past he's not sure why the thought hadn't crossed his mind sooner.

They made eye contact and held it, Matt leaning back in his chair, Kelly running a hand through his fluffy hair, just looking at each other. Minutes passed, neither of them moved a muscle or said a word, until Kelly spoke, "So, I missed your calls." He stated, almost as if he thought Matt hadn't realized that. Because he had, he had realized Kelly had missed three of his calls and multiple texts, the only thing he didn't know, was if it was intentional or not.

Then again, Matt didn't really care, not that much. He was more interested in the events leading up to the impromptu departure.

"Yeah." Matt simply said, pushing his plate away from him and leaning back in his chair.

"I'm sorry." Kelly added after a minute, because he was, just not for the obvious reasons. He hated that he'd left, he wished he would've just stayed, they could've just talked it out like adults. He shouldn't have just abruptly gone, without a word, no indication of where he was going.  
But most of all, after thinking about it for most of the night, he realized that he regretted not going for the kiss. He held back and he wasn't even sure why anymore, he figured it was more or less a case of him chickening out, but he didn't want that to be true.  
It was only now that the situation was over and done with that Kelly realized how much he just wanted Matt.

It was a startling revelation to find out that he had a thing for his best friend.

Matt shrugged, "It's fine." He replied, accepting the apology for what it was.

Kelly nodded, shifting his gaze down slightly, breaking the eye contact. "So, I guess we should also talk about-" He started, looking a little uncomfortable.

"Yeah." Matt interrupted, as much as he like to see Kelly at a loss for words.

Kelly looked back up, meeting Matt's eyes once again, "Okay, so.." He began, inevitably getting lost in the vibrant coloured orbs that were staring back at him. It wasn't just the fact that Matt was insanely good looking that attracted him to the man, it was more than that. It was him, as a person, and the things made him identifiable and easy to pick out. It was the shy happiness when he was excited or the way he laughed when he was genuinely having a good time. It was just Matt in general, there wasn't any particular thing, but him as a whole.

"So?" Matt called, dragging Kelly out of his daydreams and back to reality.

"Right, uh." Kelly tried, every single word that he wanted to say jumbling in his brain, not coming out or forming any eligible sentences. "I don't even know what to say."

"Start with why you left."

"I was.. Scared, I guess."

Curious, Matt continued down that path, "Of what? Of me?" He questioned dryly.

"Honestly, a bit, yeah." Kelly replied quietly, avoiding eye contact as he nervously bounced his leg up and down.

As well as being a little taken aback by the honesty, Matt was surprised, "Why?"

This could be the moment Kelly finally admitted his feelings, tell Matt everything he'd been holding in. But he couldn't help but second guess all the thoughts that flew through his mind, he felt stupid.  
Yet Kelly felt it was the best thing to do, his instincts took over and they told him how right this was, how incredibly perfect it was. Reality tried to edge in, pushing thoughts of doubt into his head, but he tried to ignore it.  
Instead, focusing on the amazing, handsome man the was across from him.  
In a way, he couldn't believe it. Just yesterday they were fighting it out, now apparently he like liked him and that's crazy and he felt like his whole world was turning upside down and it was all because of one guy.

Kelly walked over and sat on the barstool next to Matt's,  
"Matt, I like you. Like, _like_ like you." He burst out quickly but softly, looking down at his hands as if there was something interesting about them.

"You-" Matt starts, then pauses. "Oh."

"It's fine if you don't-" Kelly began, before he's suddenly being interrupted by a pair of lips on his. It was quick and it didn't quite fit right at first, but it was perfect. It was exactly like he imagined, only ten times better and he couldn't believe he hadn't done this sooner, and all he could think right then was how much he honestly adored Matt.


	5. Chapter 5

The two of them pulled away from their kiss, opening eyes they hadn't even realized they closed. The way they looked at each other was intense, like they were deciding whether or not they wanted each other, although they were both pretty damn sure they knew the answer to that one. Kelly couldn't stop himself as he pulled Matt in for another kiss, this one longer and deeper than their first. Kelly threaded his fingers through short, blonde hair, moving his lips in a way that just felt right. Matt straddled Kelly's lap and pushed their bodies together, creating virtually no space between them. Matt moaned softly and Kelly took the opportunity to let his tongue slip into Matt's parted mouth. The fight for dominance was intense and the entire ordeal felt surreal and entirely pleasurable. Their soft lips kissed passionately, needing to catch up on lost time.

Breathless, they pulled away once more, Matt resting his forehead on Kelly's.  
"I _like_ like you too."

"I kinda got that impression." Kelly smiled, hugging him closer.

"And Kelly," Matt whispered against the side of Kelly's face, "Don't run away this time."

Kelly laughed silently before whispering back, "Never."

Matt shivered suddenly and Kelly realized that it was starting to get pretty cold inside the cabin. They had a nice sized fire going as well the heater so there was no reason why it should be dropping in temperature so much.

Kelly set Matt down gently on the stool and then investigated the heat situation only to find that the heater that was tucked a corner of the cabin didn't seem to be working any longer. Considering that that was their main source of warmth and was making the cabin livable, they seemed to have a problem.

He tried tinkering with the bulky machine, checking the different settings and pushing different buttons hoping for it to somehow fix itself. When that proved absolutely no use, he attempted to reset the system before deciding, as a last resort, to just take apart the whole control panel and see if he could find the root of the problem. It was a lengthy process, one which Matt patiently watched from the floor beside the heater, giving hints when he could and bouncing ideas of the other man. Together, they tried everything they could possibly think of and then some, but nothing seemed to be working. Reluctantly, Kelly started putting it back together, he'd call a repair man later, if he could even get any kind of signal from out here.

As soon as Kelly put everything back together and tried to turn it on, he was dismayed to find it still unresponsive. He let out a frustrated noise and kicked the heater as hard as he could. Matt jumped a little at that, but was quickly overcome with surprise when he heard a low rumble as the heater kicked in.

Matt laughed. And when he noticed Kelly run his hands across his face, muttering to himself how stupid and ridiculously fucked up the heater was, Matt couldn't help but laugh even harder. Kelly looked at the man below him in disbelief before helplessly joining in on the contagious laughter, shaking his head slightly.

After their laughter died down, Kelly sat on the floor next to Matt, letting the heater blast warm air all around them.

"I didn't expect our week to go like this." Kelly said abruptly after a while, smiling as he tenderly recalled the kiss among other things.

Matt chuckled lightly, "Yeah. Me either."

"We're not taking this too fast, are we?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's just- one day we're enemies, the next we're.. well, whatever we are. How do we know this is real, and not just some.. thing."

"Because, we've known each other for years. If we really want this, we can make it happen."

"You're probably right." Kelly replied distantly, staring into the fire.

"Do you want this?" Kelly suddenly asked a minute later, rubbing his hands together for friction.

Matt, a little taken aback, hesitated. He looked over to Kelly, "Yeah, I do... I-I mean, if you do."

Kelly looked up, happiness dancing in his bright eyes, "I do too."

They felt like they were twelve years old again, telling the person they had a crush on that they liked them. It felt good and invigorating and it opened up a world of possibilities for both of them.

After a long while of heating up, they decided to see if they could find any food in the cupboards. The two of them settled for a beer each, it wasn't necessarily going to do a good job of feeding them, but hey, it tasted pretty good.  
Matt then pulled Kelly by his hand to the bed, throwing back the covers and slipping in. Matt's limp was lessening a little bit as time went on but Kelly was still kicking himself over it, blaming himself for Matt's fall. Kelly sat on the bed beside Matt as Matt turned on the TV.

The TV was acting as more of a white noise for Kelly than anything else, the droning of whatever show was on was helping him think in a way. The only thoughts running through his brain were doubts, could he do this, was he good enough? For once in his life, he didn't know what to do. Usually he had some type of intuition and he generally knew how to handle things, but this was tricky.

"Whatever it is you're thinking about, stop overthinking it." Matt spoke softly, seeming to read Kelly's mind. And along with being slightly blown away that Matt had noticed the fact that he was far too deeply wrapped up in his thoughts and cared enough to say something about it, Kelly also felt another thing.

Love.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one goes out to all the faithful readers out there who have been enjoying this story!

Sometime during their back to back crime show marathon, they had both fallen into a peaceful sleep. They slept through the entire night with no disturbances and it was amazing. Even better was the fact that Matt didn't leave for the makeshift bed at any point and had stayed in the actual bed with Kelly. And when Kelly woke up and Matt had his head laying on his chest, things just reached a record high.

A few days ago, if you would've asked either of them if they would've kissed each other or anything like that, they would've both said hell no. It was amazing but also fucking scary that things progressed so quickly. Usually relationships take time and a lot of work, but here they were, just casually kissing within a day of wanting to kill each other. It made no sense, yet it made all the sense in the world. It felt right.

As Matt stirred, the arms that Kelly had around the man tightened just slightly, not quite wanting to let go. "Morning, sleepy head." He mumbled into blonde hair, smiling when all he heard in return was a grumble. The Matt, seeming to suddenly realize where exactly he was situated, shot up. A blush crept onto his face and he muttered an apology, all the while Kelly tried his best not to let out the small laugh that was bubbling just below the surface.

Kelly motioned for Matt to return to the spot he had been occupying just seconds ago, and though he was hesitant, he complied. The silence that followed was surprisingly neither awkward nor uncomfortable and the two of them felt content.

"This is nice." Matt commented, his fingers playing with the hem of Kelly's t-shirt.

"It is." Kelly agreed, nodding his head just slightly, "We should do this more often."

Matt smiled, "I think that can be arranged."

"Good." Kelly grinned happily, a look of accomplishment written on his face.

"In return, will you get me breakfast?"

"Of course." Kelly chuckled, gently slipping out from underneath Matt. On his way into the kitchen, he looked out the window and noticed it was storming heavily.

"Check this out." Kelly urged, pointing to the rapidly growing blanket of white fluff.

"Woah." Matt muttered, looking a little surprised by the sudden snowfall.

They stood and stared in fascination for a while, taking in the sounds of the wind howling and the mess outside.

"Okay, now get back in bed." Kelly ordered, a smile on his face.

"I'm already up, I-"

"Just do it."

"Fine." Matt complied, crawling back under the sheets which were still a warm. He watched as Kelly begin construing some kind of breakfast and brewing fresh coffee, all the while softly humming a tune.

A minute later, he felt a tap on his shoulder and he opened his eyes which he had apparently closed. He moved over to make room for Kelly, and as soon as he sat down, he handed Matt a plate of eggs and bacon. Matt took a mouthful and nodded appreciatively, a relief to Kelly.

"That's a really bad looking storm." Matt mentioned quietly between bites.

Kelly nodded, "Looks like we're staying in today."

Matt smiled happily, "As in, we don't have to leave the bed, right?"

"Right."

"Good." Matt spoke, taking up their dishes and bringing them to the kitchen, returning with a steaming cup of coffee in each hand.  
He set both on the nightstand and as he did so, the power started to flicker. The chandelier made of antlers that hung from the centre of the building's ceiling, along with a few wall mounted lights, all waned as the power that was fed to the fixtures was cut off. The early morning light wasn't much due to the clouds that blocked the sun and the two of them could barely see each other. The cabin itself looked colder in temperature, mainly because of the crisp, dawn light that basked everything in a cold glow.

"Damn it." Kelly muttered under his breath, looking around at the suddenly half-dark room.

"I guess that's gonna mean no more TV." Matt mentioned absentmindedly, "I'll be right back." He said with a smile, before getting out of bed and heading to the washroom. 

As Matt relieved himself, he couldn't help but be just a little excited about the lack of power. Cozy cabin with literally no interruptions, a dream day in any sense. After Matt finished up and walked back out of the bathroom, he noticed that Kelly wasn't in bed anymore. Upon further inspection, he realized Kelly wasn't actually in the cabin at all. He looked over to the entrance where Kelly's boots should have been sitting, but they were gone, indicating that the man had been stupid enough to go outside.

Matt opened the front door and called Kelly's name a few times, each yell louder than the first but he felt like in the blinding blizzard, his voice didn't make it very far. There was nothing but white flakes everywhere, angrily invading every crack and crevice they could find. 

With dismay, Matt shut the door. He was not only mad at Kelly for ditching him for the shit weather outside, but he was also extremely worried. He knew the man was smart, but it didn't take much to get lost when you can't see two feet in front of you, what if Kelly was stuck somewhere, freezing cold and alone? The thought made Matt shutter and even though he was pretty sure nothing was wrong, that didn't stop the doubts and worries from invading his head.

The next while was spent pacing the floor between the kitchen and bed, envisioning every single bad thing that could've happened out there as he listened to the wind howling around the cabin. Each gust of powerful air that hit the wooden cabin made the building creak, reminding Matt that Kelly wasn't there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no! What happened to Kelly?!
> 
> You'll find out tomorrow! :)


	7. Chapter 7

Matt couldn't exactly be sure what to do in a situation like this, it's not like he could call the police or anything, and even if he could, there was no way in hell they'd make it all the way out to the middle of nowhere. He debated going outside and searching for Kelly himself, but he let that idea slide, there was no use for them to both get lost.  
Matt remembered reading some old western novels and in those books, whenever they had a storm and lost someone, they'd fire rifle shots into the air so they'd have a sound to follow. He looked around, another idea down the drain, unfortunately no guns were on the premises which was ridiculous because it was a cabin, there are always guns in a cabin.

At around the 23 minute mark, not that Matt was counting, he suddenly heard a large thump against the front door. For a long moment, Matt was terrified that there was a bear or something trying to invade the cabin, but another thought quickly took it's place; what if a bear had eaten Kelly? The idea haunted him for a good minute before he decide that Kelly was probably way too stubborn to die, let alone by a damn bear.

The door itself rattled for a second before it fell open and a very cold looking Kelly stumbled into the cabin, holding an armload of firewood. Matt gaped at the sight of a completely intact Kelly, no bear claw marks or any sign at all that he was anything less than perfectly fine.

Kelly cleared his throat, "Well that took longer than expected." He said nonchalantly, stacking the logs against the wall beside the crackling fire which, at the moment, was their only form of heat since the heater ran on electricity.

"Tell me before you disappear off the face of the earth next time, okay?" Matt stressed, running his hands over his face and through his hair. The anxiety that he didn't even realize he was feeling slowly exiting his body through his deep breaths.

Kelly scratched his head, never thinking he might've scared the crap out of Matt by leaving so suddenly without a word, but he'd planned on being back before Matt would even notice he was gone. He had just wanted to get some wood to stock the fire for the day, knowing that if Matt was around, he'd never find the motivation to get himself to do it. 

Matt shook his head, waving the situation off, "Just- please, don't leave again."

At the earnestness in Matt's voice, Kelly looked up, taking in a face full of different emotions, only being able to pinpoint a few.  
He could tell Matt wasn't upset, he almost never was, he was the definition of calmness.  
Inside though, he knew the man was harbouring some deep founded fear, the unknown along with the desperate anxiety would be enough to throw any man off his game. 

Kelly shook his head adamantly, "I'm not leaving." 

Something about the dedication in his voice, eagerly assuring, sent butterflies through Matt's stomach. He stepped forward, taking a good look at Kelly who had an apologetic look carefully set on his face. Matt leaned forward, his breath catching the edge of Kelly's jaw, sending shivers down his spine.  
He hovered just centimetres away from Kelly, inhaling the sharp scent of his cologne as he moved closer to the side of his face.  
Matt stopped when he was right beside Kelly's ear, closing his eyes as he said, "You better not, I'd be too lonely."  
And with that, Matt spun away, heading to the kitchen to start the dishes, inwardly smiling to himself.

"Wha-" Kelly protested, disappointedly watching Matt walk away. He had liked where that had been going and wasn't very impressed that it had been cut short.

Kelly followed Matt, shaking his head, "You can't just do that." 

"Funny, cause I did." Matt laughed, picking up a plate and starting to wash it clean.

Kelly smiled, walking up behind Matt and wrapping his arms around his waist, he rested his head on his shoulder and watched as the dirty plates went into the dish water and came out sparkling. 

He enjoyed this, he'd never been like this with a man before and saying it was different than he imagined it would be was somewhat of an understatement. For once in his life, Kelly didn't feel like he had to be the tough guy everyone thought he was. Sure, he was still strong physically, but emotionally, he felt like he could let go a little bit. 

Being with Matt in the cabin, it was like rediscovering those deep feelings for the first time again. He'd experienced quite a lot with women, but it was almost as if everything was new and unknown to him again. It was refreshing to feel things again, new sensations and old, both came to him in a cocktail of a happy affection, something that he'd been needing lately.

Matt finished the dishes and leaned back into Kelly, closing his eyes as the heat of the body behind him made his back tingle slightly.  
Matt slowly turned around, wrapping his arms around Kelly as he pulled him close for a warm embrace. They stood like that for a while, neither of them making a move to pull away. The two of them were simply in their own little world, a combination of the storm outside and the dim light making for a cozy cabin. They felt as though, in this moment, nothing could ever come between them. Against the universe, they felt invincible.

Eventually Kelly pulled back a few inches so he could kiss Matt. It was sweet at first, just the gentle touch of lips, slowly but surely gradienting to a faster pace. It wasn't long before Kelly let his tongue trace Matt's lower lip, requesting entrance. Somehow, kisses he shared with Matt were different than any other he'd experienced in his lifetime, they were nothing less than incredible, the power and finesse behind Matt's soft lips never failing to impress him.  
Matt soon pushed Kelly up against the fridge, deepening the kiss to a point where he wasn't even sure if it could get anymore intense. Kelly began slowly grinding his hips up against Matt, letting a muffled groan escape between their mouths. Matt slipped a leg between Kelly's two, adding a little pressure while he reached behind him and pulled his body even closer. Kelly began to feel the pressure building up in his lower abdomen and although he wanted to get right to it, he wanted their first time together to be more special than that.  
Matt felt the same way, he broke the kiss and pulled himself away from Kelly before murmuring, "Bed. Now."

Besides nearly tripping over each other, they safely made their way to the queen size bed. Kelly took control, swiftly dropping Matt down to the mattress before he got onto it himself, straddling Matt's waist. In the spirit of taking it slow, Kelly simply laid a gentle kiss against the lips of the man below him. He moved on to leave a trail of softer kisses along his jaw and down his neck, his lips barely ghosting the skin. He rid Matt of his tshirt, throwing it on the floor somewhere across the room before continuing the trail of kisses down his chest in a slow, relaxing manner. Kelly knew he needed to wind Matt down a little before he really got to it, he wanted this to be good for Matt. 

Matt watched happily as Kelly moved further down, tongue licking a line down his abdomen before catching the elastic waistband of his boxers between his teeth. Kelly looked up and the sight of him being all sexy like that sent a jolt of electricity through Matt, sending his mind into a world of lust.  
Kelly smirked, letting the boxers slowly slip from his mouth until they snapped right back against Matt's skin before returning to his teasing kisses. To say Matt was turned on by that was the understatement of the century, he was completely hard and he needed friction.  
Kelly tried his best to ignore the insistent wanting and made a quick detour back to his neck where he left a couple of decent hickeys, claiming this new territory.  
Frustrated, Matt let out a strangled groan, an urge for Kelly to get on with it. Kelly's determination waned and he realized he couldn't hold out much longer, so after pulling off Matt's jeans, he rid himself of his own shirt and pants.  
He cupped Matt's growing erection, the action making Matt sigh loudly and squirm just a little. It was only a split second before Matt started trying to grind against Kelly's hand, so Kelly helped the man out by starting to rub Matt's hard on all the while rather intensely make outing with him.  
Matt moaned, the sound traveling straight to Kelly's own erection.

"Wait." Matt interrupted between kisses, pulling away. "I don't.. Um.. Have anything."

"Oh." Kelly said dejectedly, rolling off of Matt, "I don't either."

"Hmm.. Hey, I bet—, check the nightstand drawer." Matt suggested, motioning to the small table beside the bed. "My cousin is quite the ladies man, he's gotta have somethin around here."

Matt smiled and Kelly laughed silently as he pulled open the drawer, revealing a well organized and large selection of condoms and other things of the sexual nature. He picked a condom out at random and pulled out a small bottle of lube. 

"Ready to get this show on the road?" He whispered seductively, running a palm against the flexing muscles of Matt's abdomen.

Matt's playful demeanour quickly vanished, replaced by a thirst he knew only Kelly could quench, "Damn." Was all he could mutter, eyes wide.

Kelly, finding himself feeling particularly mischievous, reached between their bodies and into Matt's boxers, taking a firm hold of Matt's hard on. Kelly stroked slowly at first, gradually building up speed and pressure as Matt gripped Kelly's sides. The only sound in the cabin was their heavy breathing, it was a delicate soft yet harsh all at once.

Matt began nibbling at Kelly's earlobe, his warm breath occasionally dancing across the sensitive skin of his inner ear.  
Then, without warning, Matt flipped them over, hastily shucking off his boxers before helping Kelly do the same. Kelly noticed the contagious eagerness and watched as Matt went down on him, sucking on his skin, pulling red marks to the surface. Matt slowly moved his experienced hands down Kelly's body as he kept nipping and pulling on skin. They roamed down his sides, stopping at his thighs and lightly massaging them, a sweet contrast to the sexiness.  
Kelly closed is eyes and groaned at the combination of the sensations that made him feel so damn good.

Kelly pulled Matt up for a long, sweet kiss, before rolling them over so he was back on top. Kelly pulled back then paused for a moment, "Who's top?"

"Right now? You.. Just as long as we get to switch it up later." Matt answered, giving a little wink that made Kelly smile.

"Sounds good." Kelly nodded, getting lost for a moment in the idea of having Matt inside him, the mental picture it painted for Kelly nearly making him moan.

Kelly took the lube that he'd taken out earlier and generously coated his fingers, he reached down and rubbed Matt's entrance for a minute, trying to relax him a bit before he finally entered. He starting with two fingers, slowly pushing them in as he kept an eye out on Matt's facial expression, stopping when he detected a wince. He waited for a few moments before Matt nodded him on.  
Once Kelly got knuckle deep, he began scissoring his fingers as he pumped in and out, extracting a deep sigh from Matt who was already feeling the effects.

Once Kelly felt Matt was substantially stretched out, he pulled a condom on and rubbed a little extra lube over his member just to be safe.

"Ready?"

Matt nodded.

As Kelly entered, Matt consciously felt a tinge of pain alongside the consistent bursts of pleasure which wasn't a completely bad combination. And then a moment later, the pain gradually disappeared and was replaced by an even more enjoyable feeling.  
Kelly took it slow, noticing the slightly pained state Matt was in, but knowing that once he got adjusted to Kelly's size he'd be all good to go. 

It was soon pure pleasure for the both of them as Kelly settled on a mild pace, making sure not to go too fast their first time.  
Matt let out a strangled moan when he felt the lower half of his body become a shivering mess in which the storm of nerves located around his groin was the centre of attention.  
The blend of warm and tingly sensations transforming into a deep founded lust for more of Kelly.  
It was like he felt completely content and satisfied with everything that was happening, yet he simply couldn't get enough.  
Matt pushed back and met Kelly at every thrust, adjusting himself so that his prostate was hit straight on every time Kelly's length entered him. Almost reminiscent of hammer to the head of a nail being pounded into wood, or in this case, the bed. As much as both of them didn't want it to end, they couldn't hold back as the last of their energy was poured into making the last few minutes of their rodeo even more exciting. 

Kelly's hips faltered as all of his focus dissipated and was replaced with the feeling of being on the edge and feeling his orgasm come to attention. Matt was just as close and so with drawn out groans and intense gasps, the two of them came long and hard, each spurting their load plentifully. Matt came all over part of his own stomach and some of his chest as Kelly came deep inside Matt. After a minute, Kelly carefully pulled out and grabbed a couple of tissues from the nightstand, cleaning up himself and the limp body beneath him before flopping down beside Matt. 

"That was amazing." Matt said, still slightly out of breath. He turned his body toward Kelly.

"Agreed. That was amazing.. You're amazing." He stated sheepishly. 

Matt grinned and rewarded him with a happy kiss on the lips before shuffling closer and melting into his warm chest.

"So are you, Kel. So are you." Matt whispered happily, the sound of Kelly's heartbeat helping him slowly drift off into a contented sleep. With the slightest grin on his face, Kelly's eyes closed and he was out like a light in just a few moments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one more chapter left! :'(
> 
> Also I'd like to appreciate how spot on Pall's prediction was!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter! I'm really happy that I got to share this story with you and I'm saddened to see it come to an end! Thanks for everyone that has been supporting and following this story, means a lot to me! :)

When the two of them woke up, still tangled in the sheets and with each other, the storm was still raging on outside the creaking cabin. The wind blew large snowflakes around in circles, the force of the simple gusts enough to emit creaks from the groaning cabin. 

The power had long since gone out and they had found some candles in a cupboard which they had placed all around the large lodge in attempt to light up place a little. It was a lost cause because with their small size and waning flames they didn't really do much besides subsequently adding a cozy atmosphere. It didn't bother either of them though, they didn't need a lot of light, especially when all they were doing was relaxing and laying in the bed together.

Neither of them made a move to get up, it was as if an unspoken moment was passing wherein the two of them were soaking up as much of each other as they could in the short time they'd have together. It wasn't like they couldn't do this at home, but they'd just always have to be looking over their shoulders, constantly aware of who had their eyes on them. It's not that they weren't proud of what was developing between them, they simply weren't ready to show it to the world yet and that was okay, it was just hard.

Matt absentmindedly ran his fingers across Kelly's muscular chest, tracing patterns and shapes on the soft skin as his mind travelled deep in thought. The idea of being with Kelly scared the crap out of him, the notion of someone so amazing and hella handsome taking an interest in him baffled him, and he wasn't really sure what was going to happen after this week was over.

Then again, it didn't really matter, not when they were so happy in the moment. In reality that's all they really needed; happiness.

"Matt, I want to make this work." Kelly said suddenly, breaking from his deep thoughts, "I want you and me, I want us to have something, not just a one night stand."

Matt mulled over his words, a little smile playing on his lips, "I want that too." He stated, moving his head to see Kelly's face.

Surprise crept into Kelly's fine features and Matt couldn't help but laugh. What did he think Matt was going to say?

Matt sat up and straddled Kelly's waist, letting his palms rest on his chest.

"I like you more than you think, Kel." Matt stated, not being able to hold back a smug little smirk.

Kelly mischievously returned the smile, "Why don't you show me how much you like me?"

And boy, did Matt ever.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The rest of the week was just as amazing.   
You think you know a person, even after knowing and working with them for years, but you never truly do. Not until you watch the sun rise together from the roof of a cabin, (trickier than you think,) or hide under the covers together and stay up until the wee hours of the morning talking about nothing and everything. You can't know someone until you spend a week with them, alone, in a cabin that's in the middle of nowhere, with not much power, a little beer, and countless kisses. 

Returning to regular life after that paradise was hell, not being able to kiss for fear of being seen, not sleeping in the same bed all the time because they didn't want to seem suspicious, plus the whole slew of the countless other sweet nothings that they'd taken for granted while they stayed at the cabin. 

Life couldn't stop them from enjoying what they had though. Kelly would often invite Matt over, or vice versa, and together the two of them would spend the day together at one or the other's home, and if they were lucky, the night too. 

It wasn't always easy but that was alright, because Matt had Kelly, and Kelly had Matt, and that made everything okay.


End file.
